As a cyber security expert, you will have a huge range of career options across a wide variety of industries (e.g. finance, government, retail, etc.). But IT security is a specialist field. You’re unlikely to start your professional life as a penetration tester or a security architect. So the question remains – how do you get your foot in the door?
Start with this resource. It’s intended to help anyone interested in transitioning from a non-security career. We’ve included advice on choosing a starter IT job, tips on building your résumé and ideas for gaining practical experience. We’ve also listed hard IT skills and non-security certifications that will give you a solid grounding for the future.
There is no one true path to working in cyber security. People come at it from all angles – math, computer science, even history or philosophy. Yet all of them share a deep and abiding interest in how technology works. Security gurus say this is critical. You need to know exactly what you’re protecting and the reason things are insecure.
Train In General IT
To that end, many experts suggest that you begin with a job, internship or apprenticeship in IT. This will verse you in fundamentals such as administering & configuring systems, networks, database management and coding. You’ll also get a sense of IT procedures and real-world business operations.
Focus Your Interests
Because it’s impossible to be an expert in all categories, employers also suggest you focus on an area (e.g. networking security) and do it well. Think ahead 5-10 years to your “ultimate security career” then look for starter IT jobs that will supply you with the right skills. Sample career paths could include:
• Exchange administrator → Email security
• Network administrator → Network security, forensics, etc.
• System administrator → Security administrator, forensics, etc.
• Web developer → Web security, security software developer, etc.
TRANSITIONING FROM GENERAL IT TO CYBER SECURITY
As a cyber security expert, you will have a huge range of career options across a wide variety of industries (e.g. finance, government, retail, etc.). But IT security is a specialist field. You’re unlikely to start your professional life as a penetration tester or a security architect. So the question remains – how do you get your foot in the door?
Start with this resource. It’s intended to help anyone interested in transitioning from a non-security career. We’ve included advice on choosing a starter IT job, tips on building your résumé and ideas for gaining practical experience. We’ve also listed hard IT skills and non-security certifications that will give you a solid grounding for the future.
WHERE TO START
Career Path Options
There is no one true path to working in cyber security. People come at it from all angles – math, computer science, even history or philosophy. Yet all of them share a deep and abiding interest in how technology works. Security gurus say this is critical. You need to know exactly what you’re protecting and the reason things are insecure.
Train In General IT
To that end, many experts suggest that you begin with a job, internship or apprenticeship in IT. This will verse you in fundamentals such as administering & configuring systems, networks, database management and coding. You’ll also get a sense of IT procedures and real-world business operations.
Focus Your Interests
Because it’s impossible to be an expert in all categories, employers also suggest you focus on an area (e.g. networking security) and do it well. Think ahead 5-10 years to your “ultimate security career” then look for starter IT jobs that will supply you with the right skills. Sample career paths could include:
• Exchange administrator → Email security
• Network administrator → Network security, forensics, etc.
• System administrator → Security administrator, forensics, etc.
• Web developer → Web security, security software developer, etc.
Gain Practical Experience
Finally, we recommend you gain as much practical experience as humanly possible. Even if you’re not in IT, you can accomplish a lot with self-directed learning and guided training.
IT jobs that can lead to cyber security careers include:
• Computer Programmer
• Computer Software Engineer
• Computer Support Specialist
• Computer Systems Analyst
• Database Administrator
• IT Technician
• IT Technical Support
• IT Customer Service
• Network Administrator
• Network Engineer
• Network Systems & Data Analyst
• System Administrator
• Web Administrator
